Remains of New York Marine Killed in World War I Returned

MYFOXNY.COM - The remains of a Marine from New York who was killed in World War I have been identified and returned to his family for burial, the Pentagon said.

First Sergeant George H. Humphrey of Utica will be buried on Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Humphrey, with the 6th Marine Regiment and attached to the Army's 2nd Infantry Division, was part of Gen. John J. Pershing's offensive on the Western Front on Sept. 15, 1918.

Humphrey was killed in the battle, which became known as the St. Mihiel Offensive. His fellow Marines buried Humphrey the next day, the Department of Defense said. More than 7,000 allied troops died in the offensive.

More than a year later, a Marine who witnessed the death wrote a letter to Humphrey's brother with his recollection of the attack and a map to the burial site.

The military's Graves Registration personnel tried to locate Humphrey's body after the war, but weren't successful.

Then in September 2009, French collectors looking for war relics found artifacts near Rembercourt-sur-Mad, the Pentagon said.

A month later, a team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command excavated the area. The team found human remains and a marksman's badge engraved with Humphrey's name, the Pentagon said.

Scientists from the JPAC laboratory identified the remains using dental comparisons in March 2010.